The Dark Benders
by Kurogane7
Summary: Azula enlists the aid of a mercenary who could very well be Aang's match. How will things change? Rated T for now, pairings undecided.


**_A/N: This is going to be an experiment to see how people would react to the idea I have. Since so there are so few stories/crossovers with "Dungeon Fighter Online", I decided 'why not do another DFO crossover experiment?' This will not be a crossover with Naruto, oh no…in fact, I decided to see what happens when I decide to cross DFO with "Avatar: The Last Airbender". Depending on how many reviews I get, I may consider adding another chapter, so please read and review would you kindly?_**

**_Also, whoever wants to take this idea as well is welcome to do so._**

…

_Water... Earth... Fire... Air…_

_Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony._

_Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked._

_Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them._

_But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang._

_And although his airbending skills are great, he still has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone._

_But I believe Aang can save the world. _

_There is another tale told in whispers._

_That long ago, there was a brotherhood of cursed swordsmen who ravaged the lands long before the Avatar came into existence._

_The war that followed lasted for generations until the Avatar and the brotherhood's greatest champion met on a secluded location._

_Nobody knows the truth of what happened except the Avatar and the descendants of the brotherhood._

_This tale will detail the fate of both the brotherhood and the Avatars_

…

Loud and hearty laughter had filled the halls of the tavern…arm-wrestling contests and wagering of all sorts had made it clear the mirth of the place. The cause of this busy sound was from the mercenaries that frequented and the friendly atmosphere presented by many of them. Few shared in the jovial mood of the area, one in particular was a person in a baggy and hooded robe did not share in the fun in the bar, sitting in a corner with a mug being served to him. Resting against the wall next to him was a lacquered oak box vaguely resembling a coffin. The bartender did not say anything against the spooky thing, but the man paid him a good sum for a few mugs of his strongest brew…which just so happened to use a generous dose of cactus juice from the desert as its main ingredient.

As she sipped on her own drink, one of the patrons eyed her fellow loner in the bar with equal parts suspicion and interest. What was he carrying in that corpse-box that it would need a strap? The fact that it had dimensions that would not be out-of-place for a coffin meant that the box was meant to contain something man-sized aside from dead bodies judging from the wear and tear on the finish. Before long, her curiosity got the better of her before she waved a waiter over. "What can you tell me about the wallflower in the corner over there?"

"I wouldn't bother with him June," said the man, almost petrified of what the hood hid, "man like him hides his face for a reason. If there's a bounty on his head, it's probably not worth it for a psycho like him if he goes around lugging a coffin with him like that."

The disbelieving look on June's face was enough to reveal her thoughts on the matter, before it melted into the look of one who had just found a challenge to be taken. "Send him another hit of what he's having on me."

"You sure about that?"

"I have a curiosity that needs satisfying. Hopefully I'll be able to tell you all I can about him."

"Okay, if you're sure about it," sang the waiter in a cautionary tone, "but remember, this is on your tab and your head."

A wave of noncommittal said it all, and then June watched as the waiter walked up to the bar to ask the bartender to mix the drink. After a few moments, the drink was mixed and then was delivered to the man in the robe…the words spoken were drowned out by the happy mood of the place before the hooded stranger's gaze was directed at her. It was then that the waiter returned to her with a mystified look on his face. "Huh, that's odd," said the waiter upon stopping at her table, "three weeks this man's been in and out of these parts doing mercenary work, and this is the first time he's ever answered any of the other patrons. His exact words were, and I quote 'please invite the lady over to my table for a drink'. I mean what am I, a messenger?"

June's look of amusement at the waiter's plight was clear. "The things you do to keep a customer. I'll see you around Xióng." With that said, got up from her seat and approached the table of the mercenary sitting in the corner that had apparently paused in his drink to await her arrival. She knew he had not taken a sip from the mug from her observations, which was strange considering that the man had already downed a few mugs almost instantly upon arrival.

"So to what do I owe the honor of the lovely lady treating me to another mug of the bartender's strongest drink?" asked the hooded stranger, seemingly looking into the mug and studying its contents, "A fine spirit by the way. I've never been able to find anything as strong in my travels thus far."

The manner in which he spoke had surprised June. Normally, the boisterous and the loudmouthed tended to frequent this place, and here was a man who spoke as if he came from a well-to-do background. Who was this guy? "Yeah, well I had some questions for you if you don't mind."

"Depends on the question; If you're asking about who I am or where I'm from, then don't bother asking—I won't say."

Deflated did not mean defeated in June's books. People who wouldn't talk about their pasts had something to hide…but perhaps she could fish out some hints from the guy. With a sip from her wine, she then turned her attention back to the mystery man. "Okay then, my first question would be this: where did you learn to speak so well? I mean, you'd have to be well-educated if you're talking like this."

A chuckle was her answer before the stranger calmed down. "Ah, well that's easy. Let's just say that where I'm from, I was taught that being a professional means acting like one. That means being polite, humble, and confident, and yet still very much efficient. I deviate from any of that, and my chances of losing potential clients increases."

"Good point. I can see why the clients seem to like a mercenary like you. Though why you are so picky with your clients seems to evade me."

The mercenary had seemed to have a grin under the hood he wore. "I'm a sword-for-hire, but I'm still human—let's just say that some jobs appeal to me more than others beyond the size of the paycheck."

At that, June could not help but subtly reach for the whip she had hidden on her person. "You one of those thrill-killer sort of assassins?"

"No, I just happen to prefer certain contracts over others. But otherwise, I'll do any job you ask of me so long as the pay is reasonable…and that you actually _pay_ me when I'm done."

"Fair enough, but what's in the coffin?"

The mercenary's voice had a teasing feel to it. "My personal affects, but as to the contents—it is not your concern. And I thank you for the drink." Raising his mug to toast the bounty huntress, June took it as her cue to leave. But the playful look in her eyes had made clear that she was not done with him yet, and the toast back to him had confirmed it.

It wasn't long until the doors of the tavern opened, and in walked three people that would not have been expected to be seen in these parts, killing the festive mood of the patrons. All three of them were girls, but that was not what concerned the patrons of the tavern-it was the identity of the girl in the lead that caught their attention: golden eyes, black hair, Fire Nation armor, that was most definitely Princess Azula alright. What she was doing here, and with her three consorts no less, none of the men in the tavern knew and neither did they care. She more trouble than she was worth…and when she and her colleagues walked to the table of the lone mercenary, nobody stopped them; not even when the loner bowed respectfully to her before she was settled down on a seat across from him.

"So you're the one I've heard so much about." This was more a statement from the Fire Nation princess than it was a question. "I've heard so many stories about you. They say you single-handedly cut through an army of bandits for their aggregated raids against a small farming village."

"It was a win-win situation," explained the mercenary, after he took another swig of his liquor, "the farmers wanted the attacks to stop, and I needed the money to rest here before continuing on. And so the farmers didn't have to pay me; I turned in the heads of the bounties for a hefty sum, and the farmers kept the gold to rebuild their village."

With a mischievous smirk on her face, Azula found herself waving a waiter in and treating the mercenary to another mug of his drink. "The fact that the Fire Princess herself is paying for my next drink tells me she wants something of me," observed the mercenary, before taking another sip, "I suppose it is only polite to hear her out."

"We are after the Avatar," began Azula, "my idiotic brother and incompetent uncle have both failed in the task and are on the lam. I'm looking for someone I can trust to aid me in capturing the Avatar alive."

"And what makes you think I'll want to work for the Fire Nation?" asked the mercenary, managing to successfully mask his anger under layers of cold, professional patience, "as I understand it, it was the Avatar's duty, not the Fire Nation's to bring stability to the world."

"This coming from a man whose people were persecuted for something they could not control and were almost wiped out," began Azula, "oh yes, I know exactly what you are. And to be honest, I wonder how much money Father put on your head given your status among your people."

The mercenary shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose I can take that as a compliment. But then comes the ultimate question: what's in it for me?"

…

**_Music Used:_**

**_"Magatama (Senryo Kyoshiro)" from "Samurai Shodown"—the tavern atmosphere_**

**_"Nine-Tailed Demon Fox" by Toshiro Masuda from "Naruto"—Azula and the Mercenary talk_**

…

**_Translations:_**

**_Xióng—the waiter's name is Mandarin for 'Bear' as in 'Grizzly'._**


End file.
